Booking for free use of leisure facilities during Sport For All Day to ...

Released on July 24th, 2012

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will make various fee-charging leisure facilities available for free use by members of the public on August 5 (Sunday) when Sport For All Day is held as part of the department?s efforts to encourage people to do regular exercise.

Booking for the facilities can be made at all Leisure Link booking counters at LCSD venues (except for self-service kiosks) from 9.30am on July 29 (Sunday) on a first-come, first-served basis. This applies to the facilities which have not been block-booked by organisations on August 5.

The leisure facilities open to free use on August 5 include:

* Indoor leisure facilities: badminton courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, netball courts, volleyball courts, squash courts, table tennis tables, American pool tables, billiard tables, carom table, sport climbing walls, bowling greens, golf facilities, fitness rooms, activity rooms and dance rooms;

* Outdoor leisure facilities (not including camping facilities, sports grounds and artificial and natural turf pitches): tennis courts, tennis practice courts, bowling greens, batting cages, rope course, sport climbing walls, archery ranges and golf facilities;

* Public swimming pools (not including Wan Chai Swimming Pool); and

* Craft at water sports centres

Each person can book only one free session for these leisure facilities irrespective of the types of facilities. No prior booking is required for free admission to the LCSD?s swimming pools. Those interested only need to line up at the entrance to the pools before each session starts on August 5 for free admission on a first-come, first-served basis.

If a hirer fails to take up a booked leisure facility 10 minutes after the starting time of the booked session, the facility will be reallocated to walk-in participants on a first-come, first-served basis. A walk-in participant allocated a facility in this way does not need to surrender the facility even when the original hirer subsequently turns up.

The LCSD appeals to hirers to make the best use of the booked facilities and to arrive at the facilities on time. They should cancel the booked sessions as soon as possible if they foresee being unable to use the booked facilities. They can fill out a booking cancellation form or confirm cancellation in writing and send the information together with the permit to the LCSD by fax or email or in person. The booking cancellation form is available at the Leisure Link booking counters at LCSD venues and can be downloaded from the Sport For All Day dedicated webpage: www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/sfad2012/en/index.php.?@

The hirer must be one of the users of the leisure facility booked.He or she should produce the valid permit, his or her identification document (i.e. identity card, passport, re-entry permit or student card bearing a photograph of the card holder) and recognised proof of qualifications (if necessary) for verification at the check-in counter before using the facilities. All users of the leisure facilities have to observe the rules and regulations laid down by the LCSD.

Swimmers should help keep swimming pools clean and hygienic. People should not use the swimming pool facilities if they do not feel well. They should put on a clean swimsuit and use the toilet if necessary and should not defecate or vomit in the pools. Before entering the pool deck areas, they should shower in the changing rooms and walk through the shower baths and footbaths.

Being held for the fourth consecutive year, Sport For All Day has ?Stay Active: Exercise for Half an Hour Daily? as a slogan this year. It aims to call on people to nurture a habit of performing physical exercise for at least 30 minutes each day so as to attain a healthier and stronger physique.

Various free recreation and sports programmes will also be made available throughout the 18 districts on Sport For All Day for the public to take part in. On top of activities like parent-child sports programmes and exercise demonstrations and the provision of fitness corners across the board, the LCSD?s designated sports centres in each of the 18 districts will each choose an Olympic event as a centrepiece to create an ambience themed on the London Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as to give support to Hong Kong athletes participating in the Games.

Enrolment for the August 5 free programmes can be made at the respective District Leisure Services Offices of the LCSD or the designated activity venues in the 18 districts on a first-come, first-served basis. A small portion of tickets will be reserved for walk-in participants on the event day. Details of the designated sports centres and the corresponding Olympic sports selected are available at the Sport For All Day dedicated webpage.

So far, more than 30 organisations, including District Councils, various National Sports Associations, tertiary institutions and property management companies, have responded to the LCSD?s appeal for organising free activities and opening their facilities for the use of their members, teachers and students or tenants on August 5. More than 4,500 people are expected to benefit from their generosity. To encourage more people to actively participate in physical activity, some of the District Councils have even taken the step of financing community organisations to organise recreation programmes on August 5.

Sport For All Day 2012 is co-organised with the Department of Health; the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sports Medicine and Health Sciences Centre; the Postgraduate Diploma/Master of Science in Sports Medicine and Health Science Alumni Association of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China.

For details of the booking arrangements for leisure facilities and enrolment for recreation programmes, please visit the Sport for All Day dedicated homepage. Enquiries can be made on Tel: 2414 5555.

Source: http://asiarelease.asia/booking-for-free-use-of-leisure-facilities-during-sport-for-all-day-to-begin-this-sunday/

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Sunbed tanning kills 800 in Europe every year: study

Sunbed users run a 20 percent higher risk than non-users of developing skin cancer, according to a report that blamed some 800 melanoma deaths in Europe every year on indoor tanning.

About 3,400 of some 64,000 new cases of cutaneous melanoma diagnosed in 18 European countries every year are related to sunbed use -- more than five percent, said a statement issued by the BMJ medical journal.

The risk doubled if tanners started before the age of 35.

The findings were based on an analysis by researchers of 27 studies on skin cancer and sunbed use conducted between 1981 and 2012 in Britain, France, Germany and other countries.

They found a "1.8 percent increase in risk for each additional sunbed session per year", said the statement.

"The authors believe that earlier studies have tended to underestimate the risk of indoor tanning because the use of these devices is relatively new."

The study authors from the International Prevention Research Institute in France and the European Institute of Oncology in Italy urged tougher regulation and restricting children's access to tanning salons.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sunbed-tanning-kills-800-europe-every-study-223553775.html

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Could volcanic eruptions in the south-west Pacific save the Great Barrier Reef?

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) ? Could the pumice that surges into the ocean once a volcano erupts in Tonga or elsewhere in the south-west Pacific save the Great Barrier Reef?

World-first research conducted by Queensland University of Technology geologist Dr Scott Bryan indicates that yes, this is not only possible, but could be how the Great Barrier Reef formed in the first place.

Dr Bryan and colleagues studied the westward flow or rafting of pumice after volcanic eruptions in Tonga in 2001 and 2006.

Pumice forms when frothy molten rock cools rapidly and forms a lightweight bubble-rich rock that can float in water.

Dr Bryan said his study found plants and tiny animals including corals latched onto pumice as it was swept by ocean currents towards north eastern Australia.

"The pumice raft created after the 2006 Home Reef volcano erupted in Tonga initially formed at least a 440 square kilometre floating mass," he said.

"This mass slowly broke up into streaks and millions to billions of marine organisms such as cyanobacteria, barnacles, molluscs, corals, anemones, and crabs began hitching a ride.

"The pumice we observed travelled more than 5000 kilometres in eight months and for the first time we were able to document the more than 80 species of plant and animal life that made the journey with it.

"Some biological cargo latched on in the waters around Tonga and Fiji while others came aboard elsewhere along the raft's 900+ day journey."

Dr Bryan said when these tiny corals, coralline algae, anemones and other reef dwellers arrived in north-eastern waters they became part of the Great Barrier Reef.

"This is good news because we know the reef is being replenished as a result of volcanic activity in the south-west Pacific and volcanic activity is frequent with eruptions in the area occurring every five to 10 years," he said.

"On the downside, marine pests, for example some species of sponge or mussel, can also be carried along on the pumice.

"While our research has not yet recognised designated marine pests, even if migration occurred at a very low rate in the future, pumice rafting could bring an invasion of millions to billions of pests that we don't yet know how to deal with."

Dr Bryan said his research would be significant to ecologists.

"Ecologists know the types of pests present in Pacific waters and their spawning patterns so when a future pumice rafting event occurs we can be in a better position to predict and suggest pest mitigation measures," he said.

He said prior to his research, pumice rafting had not been considered a significant factor in the dispersal of marine life for either reef revitalisation or pest invasion.

"We now have concrete proof that this is not the case," he said.

Dr Bryan's research paper, "Rapid, Long-Distance Dispersal by Pumice Rafting", is published online in PLoS ONE.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Queensland University of Technology.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Scott E. Bryan, Alex G. Cook, Jason P. Evans, Kerry Hebden, Lucy Hurrey, Peter Colls, John S. Jell, Dion Weatherley, Jennifer Firn. Rapid, Long-Distance Dispersal by Pumice Rafting. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (7): e40583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040583

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120719105259.htm

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Take Notice of Continuous Rooftop Water Leaks in Order to Save ...

It's going to be a surprise if you live in Atlanta, Georgia and detect water moving on the walls. This simply signifies that your home's roof needs immediate consideration. Undoubtedly these leaks must be closed immediately, although they need to be found first. What is similarly unexpected is if that takes place during summer months in Atlanta. Essentially the summer time is all sun and also heat, but Atlanta's humid subtropical environment can cause occasional thunderstorms. It's easy to understand when you're unsure how you can search for water leaks just by only looking up. When you're up to it, listed here are four ideas toassist you to detect any drip on the home's roofing.

Use a garden hose

An ordinary garden hose can do to check for leakages. Climb to your roof top and make an imaginary section of the entire roof structure. Position your garden hose for each area and ask somebody at home to ascertain if they will observe water leaks or perhaps water flowing on the wall surfaces. Or maybe, position your hose on the roofing and shower as if it's raining, starting from the lowest point and steadily working your way up.

Bear in mind gravity

The law of gravity states, "What goes up must come down." Yet gravity is exactly what draws the water all the way down as it travels over the roof structure. Try and observe down rafters, the chimney, or joints for any water leaks. More importantly, check these obliquely as well as laterally to better see the source of the outflow.

Go tag team

When you can, get a tag team companion to wrestle at the roof structure for leaks. Sometimes having an additional pair of experienced eyes can help you find water leaks within places that may have been overlooked. Atlanta roofers can perform this best and can save you time and energy.

Look into the attic

Should you have an loft, search for water leaks, also. Aside from leaks on the roof structure or maybe in the attic, try if you can find water stains, black marks, as well as mold growth as these happen in spots in which water passes. A few Atlanta roofing contractors suggest looking at the crawl space to confirm these.

Looking for leakages on the roofing is often rather hard in many cases unsafe particularly if you have to climb on your roofing. Eventually, it is advisable to consult a roofing contractor Atlanta house owners rely on to check on the overall condition of your roofing. Research a little more about roof structure water leaks from Ideas.ReliableRemodeler.com and FamilyHandyMan.com.

For more details, search atlanta roofers, atlanta roofing contractors and roofing contractor Atlanta in Google for related information.

Keywords: atlanta roofers, atlanta roofing contractors, roofing contractor Atlanta

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George Zimmerman's cousin accuses him of sexual molestation (+video)

George Zimmerman, the man charged with the murder of a black teenager in Florida, has now also been accused of sexually molesting his cousin. In other developments relating to the case, supporters of Zimmerman aim to postpone plans for a memorial for the slain teenager.?

By Barbara Liston,?Reuters / July 16, 2012

George Zimmerman, left, and attorney Don West appear before Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. during a bond hearing at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford, Fla., in June.

(AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

Enlarge

George Zimmerman, who is charged in the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, was accused by his female cousin of sexually molesting her for a decade beginning when she was 6 years old, according to new documents made public on Monday by prosecutors.

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After it came out she never told the details about what happened and now says it's the first time she isn't afraid of him.

The name of the relative was deleted from an audio tape version of her witness statement that was released to the media. Identified only as Witness No. 9, she would be about age 27 now.

Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, confirmed the woman was the former neighborhood watch volunteer's cousin.

It is not immediately clear why prosecutors released the molestation allegation or whether they plan to use it in court if Zimmerman goes on trial.

"Now that this statement is part of the public record, the defense will vigorously defend Mr. Zimmerman against the allegations," O'Mara said in a statement.

In a motion filed in June to keep the accusation under wraps, O'Mara argued the statement by Witness 9 was uncorroborated and irrelevant to the murder case.

He wrote at the time that its disclosure would lead to "widespread hostile publicity which would substantially impair (Zimmerman's) fair trial rights."

Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester , who is presiding over the case, ordered the document released under Florida's public records law.O'Mara made an unsuccessful 11th hour attempt on Monday to stop the public release of the statement, filing a motion barely four minutes before prosecutors' scheduled release of the audio recording.He also filed a motion on Friday requesting the judge recuse himself, arguing that Lester has displayed b ias a nd Zimmerman be lieves he will not be given a fair trial.

O'Mara also sought to seal about 145 of Zimmerman's jailhouse phone calls which were also released on Monday. The calls included conversations Zimmerman had with his wife and other family members an d friends about his jail conditions, media handling and his finances.

Part of the woman's statement was released last week in which she told investigators in a separate recorded statement that Zimmerman's family was known to be racist, but she did not recall any specific statement or act by Zimmerman to illustrate the point.

Zimmerman is accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting death of Martin. He claims he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense.

The woman told investigators during a taped interview that the last time Zimmerman molested her she was 16 and Zimmerman, a new high school graduate at the time, was temporarily living alone in a house his parents had just purchased in Lake Mary, Florida.

'Not Afraid of Him' Now?

Asked why she waited until March 20 of this year to tell her story to law enforcement, the woman said, "This is the first time in my life that I'm not afraid of him ... he can't get to me."

The woman described Zimmerman molesting her during annual family get-togethers and trips.

The woman said she finally told her parents in 2005 when she was 20. She said her parents called Zimmerman to a meeting at a pizza restaurant in Lake Mary."

Instead of talking about it, all he did was come in the room, come in the restaurant, he sat down on the end of the booth and he said 'I'm sorry' and just got up and walked out ... my parents, their jaws dropped," the woman said.

She said her mother discouraged her from taking further action at the time, saying it would be his word against hers, and she would wind up in jail.

In a separate development, a Zimmerman supporter and former neighbor, Frank Taaffe, told Reuters he planned to go door-to-door on Monday in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, the subdivision where Martin was gunned down, to collect signatures to protest any permanent memorial for Martin in the neighborhood.

Taaffe, echoing Zimmerman's claim that he merely defended himself against Martin's alleged aggression, said any memorial should await the conclusion of the trial.

"Why are we memorializing a potential - potential - aggressor?" Taaffe said.

A makeshift memorial set up at a neighborhood entrance after Martin's death was removed last week by the city of Sanford after some residents complained they did not want the killing to define their neighborhood.

They also said the highly publicized case was bringing down property values, according to city manager Norton Bonaparte.

Bonaparte said the city packed up items left at the memorial and stored them in a local museum. He said he agreed to meet on Tuesday with a local group that wants a permanent memorial to Martin.

(Editing by David Adams, Kevin Gray and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VsKfjqCNI8I/George-Zimmerman-s-cousin-accuses-him-of-sexual-molestation-video

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Skype bug forwards conversation snippets to random people

28 min.

Rosa Golijan

Skype has confirmed that?? under "rare circumstances" ??parts of instant message conversations made over the chat service may be forwarded to an unintended recipient.?

How devastating is this issue??

A Skype spokesperson didn't elaborate beyond a pre-written statement, but based on user comments in the official Skype support forums, we can piece together what happens if you're one of the unlucky few affected by this bug.

Let's say that User A and User B are exchanging instant messages over Skype today. Tomorrow, User A might log on and find a message from User C?? one of his or her contacts???asking about something that was said in that conversation. The message User C received, without any action by User A or User B,?would've been a line or two from the conversation the two had.

Scary, no? Just think back to the last few instant message conversations you've had and imagine what would happen if some?random lines from it were sent to a random person on your or your conversation partner's contact lists. (Now that I think about my own conversations, I suddenly want to upgrade that "scary" to a "terrifying.")

The Skype spokesperson I spoke to explained that the company is aware of the issue and will be rolling out a fix for it "in the next few days." Users will be notified that they should download an updated version of Skype once that is available.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/skype-bug-forwards-conversation-snippets-random-people-887539

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Spain reforms to raise $69 billion

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Don't Sabotage Your Retirement to Pay for College

That more families are conducting a cost-benefit analysis of college is long overdue, and it could help to put some downward pressure on skyrocketing tuition rates. At the same time, few can dispute the value of a college degree. The economic downturn has put downward pressure on salaries, but even recent data point to college grads earning about $600,000 more over their lifetimes than those who graduated from high school only. Given that differential, it's no wonder that sending kids to school is a key priority in so many families.
But by multitasking as so many parents do--saving for college and their own retirement at the same time--they run the risk of coming up light on the retirement front with no way to make up for the shortfall, except for working longer. The old saying about this topic is dead-on: Your child can get a loan to pay for his or her college education, but no one will give you a loan to pay for retirement if it turns out you haven't saved enough. Given increasing rates of longevity, rising health-care costs, and what many expect will be only so-so returns from the stock and bond markets in the decades ahead, can anyone ever really be sure they'll have enough money on which to retire?
Parents can undermine their retirements in favor of college in several different ways. The most benign is to steer a disproportionate share of their savings to college that they should have earmarked for their retirement accounts instead. Pulling money from 401(k)s and IRAs is an even more direct way of giving short shrift to retirement.
Yet one method of paying for school stands out as especially unhealthy: parental loans. With college costs rising and other sources of college funding, such as investment accounts and home equity, at a low ebb, it's easy to see why the loans have jumped in popularity. Many parents probably reckon that if their kids are also taking out loans, a parental loan is a way to share the burden, or to make up the difference if student loans, scholarship, and financial aid fall short. Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students, or PLUS, have generous limits, allowing parents to borrow enough to pay for any college costs not covered by the student's financial aid package. The interest rate on Parent PLUS loans, at 7.9%, also beats the rates available on many private student loans; it's also lower than the previous rate of 8.5% that was available for parent loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program.
And at first blush, taking out a loan to pay for your child's college costs might seem less taboo than raiding your own retirement account or tapping home equity. But it's next to impossible to think of a situation when a parental loan will trump other alternatives. And if a parent loan is the only option left, it's probably wise to investigate a more affordable college plan.
Here are some of the key reasons why parents should be practically allergic to taking out loans to pay for school.
Federal Student Loans Are Cheaper
Although many parents are rightfully unhappy with the idea of hobbling their children with debt, families who can demonstrate financial need and qualify for a subsidized Stafford or Perkins loan will almost always be better off going that route than opting for a Parent PLUS loan. As a result of recent Congressional action, the interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans will stay at 3.4% for one more year; the rates on Perkins loans are capped at 5.0%. Both are lower than the rate on Parent PLUS loans. And the fact that both loan types are subsidized means that interest won't begin accruing as long as the student is in school at least half-time or can demonstrate financial hardship, such as being unemployed for up to three years. Because PLUS loans are unsubsidized, interest begins racking up from the time the money is disbursed, adding to overall borrowing costs. Even families who cannot qualify for subsidized loans will be better with unsubsidized Stafford loans than Parent PLUS loans. The rate on unsubsidized Stafford loans is 6.8% or less, rather than 7.9% for the Parent PLUS loans. Despite the advantages of federal student loans over parent loans, however, college-funding guru Mark Kantrowitz notes on his website finaid.org that roughly one third of the families with Parent PLUS loans have borrowed less than the maximum from the Stafford program. Kantrowitz points out that even if student loan debt is in the child's name, there's nothing stopping parents from paying it down if they choose to do so. More Costly Than Other Forms of Borrowing
Even if a family has taken full advantage of federal student loans in the child's own name, Parent PLUS loans fall behind other forms of borrowing in the desirability queue, too. Borrowing from a 401(k) or home equity line of credit, while not necessarily advisable, will still make more sense than parental loans in most instances. With 401(k) loans, the big drawbacks include: they must be paid back on an abbreviated schedule, often ranging from one to five years; they must be paid off in full if you leave your employer; and your loan amount is limited to the lesser of $50,000 or one half of your plan balance. The big positives, however, are more favorable interest rates--usually the prime rate (currently 3.25%) plus 1 percentage point--and the fact that you're paying interest to yourself rather than to a third party. Borrowing from home equity also trumps parent loans on most fronts. Although they're variable, interest rates on home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, are substantially lower than the Parent PLUS loan rate of 7.9%; plus, HELOC holders who are using the money for expenses other than home improvements--as is the case with college funders--can deduct up to $100,000 in interest. (HELOC interest is not deductible for filers who are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax.) Of course, borrowing against the equity in a home, as with borrowing against a 401(k), isn't to be taken lightly. Variable HELOC rates could pop up, and borrowers could lose their homes if they fall behind on their payments. But for those with substantial equity in their homes, a HELOC will be cheaper than a parental loan. Servicing Debt Costs More Than Invested Assets Can Earn
Some parents might rationalize borrowing to pay for college because it seems better than pulling money from retirement accounts. But that might not be the case. For starters, any investments in your retirement account will have trouble to generate earnings that can match the 7.9% rate you're paying on the parent loan. Pulling money from a Roth IRA is especially easy to recommend as an alternative to parental borrowing, as contributions can be withdrawn free of tax and penalty for any reason. Early withdrawals from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are less advisable because the distributed amounts will be taxed, but it's possible to at least circumvent the 10% early-withdrawal penalty if the money is used to pay college tuition. Questionable Job Market
Last but not least, some parents might rationalize taking out loans to pay for college with the expectation--or even the promise--that their kids will pay them back. That could work out just fine, but even children with the best of intentions might have trouble finding a job after college. And when their children do find gainful employment, parents might be hesitant to accept payment given that their kids are just getting their sea legs in adulthood by setting up their own homes, pursuing advanced degrees, or starting families. See More Articles by Christine Benz

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Morningstar-Articles/~3/00dfaGa2QlY/article.aspx

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Cancer Therapeutics reveals proof of concept for second development drug

Cancer Therapeutics, a company focused on translating cancer biology research into novel treatments for cancer, today announced the validation and performance of a new targeted drug, CTx-294886, in combination with Avastin? (bevacizumab ? Genentech/Roche) in a preclinical model of breast cancer. At the same time the Company announced that it has developed a new High Throughput Screening (HTS) platform for the identification of small molecule inhibitors of protein ubiquitination, a key element in the essential cellular process of protein homeostasis, which is an exciting new target pathway for cancer treatment. Both scientific developments will be presented as posters at the EACR conference in Barcelona Spain on July 7-10 2012.

The anti-tumour response to CTx-0294886, a potent small molecule inhibitor of Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 (VEGFR3), was compared with that of the Company?s first product CTx-0294945, a potent selective FAK inhibitor. CTx-0294886 in combination with Avastin?_, showed additional benefits to those previously demonstrated by CTx-294945 (previously presented at the AACR conference in Chicago on the 3^rd of April this year).? In both cases the small molecules in combination with Avastin? inhibited angiogenesis, and increased the duration of tumour response in a model of basal breast cancer.? In addition CTx-294886 in combination with Avastin? also provided a highly statistically significant increase in the median survival time compared to the Avastin? only group.

The new Ubiquitin HTS platform closely replicates cellular ubiquitination pathways, and provides a mechanism for HTS of multiple targets.? Ubiquitins are small regulatory proteins that attach to other target proteins allowing their destruction and recycling. This process requires a family of dedicated enzymes, such as ligases, for completion. E6AP, an E3 ligase, was selected to validate the platform.? E6AP ubiquitinates p53 and PML in human papilloma virus (HPV) related and other cancers. Both p53 and PML are well known suppressors of tumour growth so substances that inhibit E6AP would be expected to retard tumour growth in cancers such as cervical and head and neck cancers. The platform was able to identify several small molecules that are now undergoing further investigation.

Dr Warwick Tong, CEO of Cancer Therapeutics, commented:

?Having achieved preclinical validation for our first product candidate in conjunction with Avastin, we are delighted to be announcing that our second candidate is even more potent at prolonging and strengthening the effects of Avastin. We are excited to have two targeted molecules that will allow rational combinations with other therapies in the fight against cancer. We are now starting to reap the benefits of our highly collaborative approach to drug discovery, working hand in hand with some of the top research institutes in Australia and our international partner, Cancer Research Technology UK?.

Dr Ian Street, Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Therapeutics, added:

?The launch of our new Ubiquitin HTS platform opens up the potential to collaborate with industry by screening chemical libraries to address multiple targets in this new and exciting area of cancer biology.? We are ready to begin discussions with other companies who would like to work with us to include their targets of interest and screen their chemical libraries using this platform?.

The titles of the posters being presented throughout the conference are:

Source: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120704/Cancer-Therapeutics-reveals-proof-of-concept-for-second-development-drug.aspx

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Choose A Good Gardener In Auckland

Here's how To Choose A Good Gardener in Auckland

Let's presume that you've by now resolved that you'd like to get a good gardener in Auckland, as defined by wikipedia, as someone who works on their own or other's gardens.

good gardener in Auckland
The most dominant research tool that you have accessible to you nowadays is the Internet. When used correctly, the Internet can be really a beneficial tool for performing a large amount of your inquiries which needless to say you'll need to wind up with a couple of phone calls in the closing phases of the procedure. Some help with the upkeep of your garden and finding a good gardener in Auckland.

Now comes the assignment of seeking the gardening services provider or good gardener in Auckland to do the job the way you would prefer it done and moreover one that you can depend upon to turn up on a continuing basis.

One of the foremost things to seek is a garden services firm or a good gardener in Auckland that has a suitable and professional in appearance web site. Nowadays, if any sort of trades or services professional does not have a worthwhile website then that may be a sound clue that they are not serious, legitimate or have a long standing place in their industry. That said, it's not an unconditional requirement that their website is showy and graphically engaging provided you can make out that there's all the necessary information that's needed and that a little exertion has gone into showcasing their business in a respectable manner. If on the other hand the site looks inferior or has practically no information or it is obviously out of date then this would not be a constructive sign. You can furthermore discover how long the website has been in continuation by doing a "who is" search (you can Google for that). This kind of a search will illustrate the particulars of the registrar of the domain and the first date of registration.

Choose a lawn care specialists and good gardener in Auckland will also state that they have public liability insurances

are members of any related industry associations and you should also be able to sight a copy of their terms, payment options and so on. Not all sites will be set out the same and may have a different accent on facts presented but at least you should have an idea from the above suggestion as to what to seek out.

With regards to payment terms, not like various other services that are provided to home and property owners that necessitate credit card processing, gardening is in fact one business that has functioned on a cash basis for a large number of years. That's almost certainly owing to the fact that a large number of common jobs have been for fairly low cash amounts and it's simply less difficult to settle that way. That said, a professional gardening business will have credit card facilities available. It doesn't automatically mean that if the service provider only accepts cash that they are cowboys, but it is a thing that you should be aware of and just compose your own judgement as to the reliability and dependability of the person you're hiring.

There are quite a few things that you ought to be searching for when reviewing gardening services and good gardener in Auckland on the Internet which might take in the following:

1. Look for any testimonials on their website and notice if they come across worthy or not. If doubtful you can always ask the gardener candidly whether or not they have any phone numbers in the course of which you may possibly check references and testimonials. If they are sincere they will be glad to offer these particulars but if they are cagey and make justifications then that ought to be of warning to you. 2. You can additionally Google their name for comments and see if any inferior reports come up. If they have a history or pattern of treating clients indecently then that information will turn up. A well thought-of company these days will spend time making sure that their popularity and consumer relations is kept at its highest standard and so if you stumble on a path of defenseless negative annotations or terrible reviews then that ought to be adequate enough alert for you to veer well away. 3. Search for the gardener or lawn care services professional's position with any attendant industry Association that they may well declare to be a member of. 4. Does the gardener or lawn care services professional tender a guarantee of satisfaction at all? That might be a undertaking to do again any work that you're not one hundred% delighted with or that you consider may well have been improved upon. This is one thing that can be applicable when a firm appoints staff or an operator to carry out a job and maybe that operator wasn't entirely up to score on the day or there were justifying conditions such as bad drying weather or something of that kind. A credible gardening business will in fact earnestly offer to rectify any such type of problems so as to hold on to their credibility and keep a customer or client contented. Make a few phone calls. Once you've completed your preliminary online research it's then time to call one or two of gardener or lawn care services professionals up and ask them around to provide a definite quote. You'll discover that they're all very agreeable to do this since it doesn't take much time to make an evaluation and then if they are successful then that would be worth a sizable sum to them on an yearly basis. In the end you would be well recommended to get hold of a written quote with all the different facets documented before you grant the work to a gardener or lawn care services professional. On that quote all the attendant details of precisely what is and isn't incorporated so that you're aware about what you've agreed to. Hold a duplicate of that quote in your filing system making sure that you can refer to it if ever a specific portion of the regular work is not performed. Ask intelligent questions.Its at all times advantageous to know before hand what you're going to be dealing with and what expectations you can depend upon in getting a professional lawn care job done. The singular way to do that is by asking the right sorts of questions so that you have the responses you must have that will help you in making educated choices.

Following are a handful of tips for questions that you might ask your gardener.

1. How long have you been in the gardening business? 2. What kind of instruction have you had or what is the bare minimum training that you give to your gardeners? Are there any certificates of course training that you can demonstrate, and what about management training ? (Hint: cowboy operators have had nil training in this area). 3. What sort of machinery do you use (e.g. petrol or electric mowers (who's electricity would they be using?), brush cutters, electric blowers etcetera. 4. How do you dispose of grass clippings and pruned vegetation? Do you use the owner's "green" vegetation bins,.. do you compost? Do you burn? Do you remove and dispose of at a council depot etc,? 5. Can I settle by credit card? For larger jobs or for commercially oriented work this is very appropriate, but remember that a number of gardeners or lawn care services will expect you to pay cash and only you can formulate an evaluation of whether or not this is reasonable or fitting and how genuine the gardener is. 6. Do you give an assurance of satisfaction for your work? A number of gardeners or lawn care services professionals will offer a promise of satisfaction and the majority of them realize that if they render a substandard or half done service on the day that they'll be expected to remedy it before payment is made. If you stick to the points within this guide then you'll be certain to locate an appropriate gardener or lawn care services professional for your job. It's not actually a complex process and the primary rule is to be clear about the actual tasks you have to get done and the skill levels of the prospective gardener that you employ. You may well be lucky and locate a perfect applicant that has submitted the cheapest quote but you ought to be clear that often the cheapest quote is not the one you ought to be accepting unless you're disposed to chance buying a few hassles into the discount!

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Choose-A-Good-Gardener-In-Auckland/4018701

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The Bachelorette Recap: Emily's Hometown Heroes

Four guys. One girl. Four families. One broken heart.

Things got serious, emotional, cheesy and awkward as always on The Bachelorette as Emily Maynard went to her prospective husbands' places of origin.

Arie, Chris, Jef and Sean each received a hero's welcome and acquitted themselves well on make-or-break hometown dates, but only three roses were in play.

Who got the boot, and who's on to the final three? Follow this link for all The Bachelorette spoilers we know, then read on for THG's official +/- recap!

Over-under on the number of times the phrase "hometown date" is spoken tonight? 17. And we're betting the over. Minus 17 because it'll be close.

Ricki sighting! Plus 20. She turns seven TODAY, so Plus 7 more.

Minus 10 for killing time and recapping all the guys. Snooze.

Chris Bukowski is up first. Are they getting him out of the way? Guy has to be the clear underdog among the top four. Sorry Chris, it's just true man.

"On a scale of one to Polish, we're Polish." - Proudly Polish Chris. Plus 5.

Mmm ... beer. Emily Maynard drinks a lot of it for a girly girl. Plus 4.

She always looks very, very tan ... in Chicago, in early spring, that makes one of them. Minus 3 for maybe trying just a little too hard sometimes.

Plus 6, though for the hair. It's so pretty.

Chris says his folks are pumped to meet their future daughter-in-law. On the same day Emily comes by? Wow, that's gonna be awkward! Minus 10.

Guy who talks to his mom for hours on the phone and calls/texts his dad every day: Sweet or not independent enough? Tough call, Emily. Even.

Poor Chris ... dropping the l-bomb for the first time in his life, only to more than likely not get a rose in under an hour and a half. Rough. Minus 9.

Plus 6 for the polka dance party afterward. How can you not love that? Well, if you're us. Not sure if you're the girl being wooed if it's a plus.

Jef's family's Holmstead Ranch looks pretty freaking awesome. Plus 18, for the natural beauty and because he's so much more country than he lets on.

Minus 8 for the skinny jeans, however. Not a good look, Jef.

Of the four guys, we would have ranked Jef Holm last on the list of guys likely to play with firearms on his hometown date. Images are deceiving. Plus 5.

Plus 15 for Emily looking super hot and being a crack shot.

Whoa, that's a lot of siblings! And little blonde kids! Plus 6.

Jef's parents' absence is a little odd - shades of Melissa Rycroft - but his siblings are certainly paternal. One of them also really looks like Emily. Even.

Emily says she'd move anywhere for the right guy and family ... yet she's slow to throw around the l-word. Girl's got her head on straight. Plus 10.

Older bro Steve is putting Jef through the wringer, but still seems supportive. He may be the dark horse, but don't count out the single F. Plus 12.

This letter Jef wrote started off cheesy beyond belief, but wow, talk about putting it all out there. Plus 48 for writing that. Is it dusty in here or what??!

Arie looks "stupid hot" in a race car, according to Emily. So much for this date conjuring up unpleasant memories, seeing as ... moving on! Plus 9.

This guy really drives like he pursues women. Hard. Fast. Okay, that seemed a lot funnier in our heads before we typed it out, so Minus 5.

Emily embraces Arie's career. And just Arie, a lot. Plus 11.

Arie Luyendyk, Jr.'s parents and siblings are as European as you can get. Which is cool. This episode, while fairly uneventful, continues to surprise.

Plus 5 for Arie being multilingual. Minus 12 for speaking Dutch in front of a clueless Emily. Definitely not the warmest vibe in the house here.

Arie's mom openly grills her on Brad Womack and why they broke up. Talk about not mincing words. Minus only 3, because it's a fair question.

Arie doesn't lack for confidence, or apparently love for Emily. This is the third or fourth time he's talked about proposing to her already. Plus 9.

Move over Ricki. Sean Lowe introduces Emily to his little girl ... dogs. Plus 3.

Plus 4 for Emily's maxi dress. Minus 4 for Sean's effeminate-looking t-shirt.

Sean is super genuine, but that kiss in the park was super weird. Minus 5.

"What if they hate me?" - Emily, re: meeting Sean's folks. As. If. Minus 5.

How jealous is Ricki after seeing Kensington's awesome cottage??! Minus 5.

Plus 11 for the still-living-at-home practical joke. Good to see Sean has a sense of humor. "He's really into stuffed animals" was a great quote too.

Sean's dad is as nice as he is. The apple doesn't fall far from that tree. Their heart-to-heart was about as sweet as it gets for male bonding. Plus 19.

When you want something in life, you gotta go get it ... especially if that thing is another kiss from Emily in the passenger seat of an SUV. Plus 4.

Chris Harrison sighting! Welcoming Emily to the Peninsula Hotel, right here in Beverly Hills! Minus 16 for that terrible, obvious marketing plug.

Minus 34 for more time-filling recaps. We just saw this stuff, Chris.

Emily starts to come unglued during her fireside chat when the conversation turns to, well, eliminating someone once they fill up enough time.

Arie gets the first rose, followed by Jef. Then Chris announces the final rose tonight (Plus 20), which she gives to Sean, obviously. Poor Chris.

"Is there an explanation?" - Chris. We feel bad and all, but isn't it kind of obvious? No need to act like you're about to murder people. Minus 10.

Minus 100 for the middle finger out the sunroof that Chris left Beverly Hills with ... but Plus 100 for viewers catching this and commenting!

EPISODE TOTAL: +80. SEASON TOTAL: +124.

Who do you think Emily should choose on The Bachelorette?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/the-bachelorette-recap-emilys-hometown-heroes/

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Linde to buy US firm Lincare for $4.6 billion

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/linde-buy-us-firm-lincare-4-6-billion-131329244--finance.html

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Murray into Wimbledon QFs after beating Cilic

Andy Murray of Britain walks off the court as rain delays play in a fourth round singles match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Andy Murray of Britain walks off the court as rain delays play in a fourth round singles match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Andy Murray of Britain waits for play to resume during a rain delay in a fourth round singles match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Andy Murray of Britain plays a return to Marin Cilic of Croatia during a fourth round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) ? Andy Murray beat 16th-seeded Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in a rain-delayed match Tuesday to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year.

The fourth-seeded Murray is aiming to give Britain its first male champion at the All England Club since 1936. He lost in the semifinals in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

His match against Cilic on Court 1 was suspended on Monday in the second set because of showers, was delayed Tuesday because of more rain, then was interrupted again in the second set.

Murray ended Cilic's eight-match winning streak.

In the quarterfinals, Murray will face No. 7 David Ferrer or No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-03-TEN-Wimbledon-Murray/id-52d2bd7970554b16ae4ab8dcd96bc0b5

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As crops rot, millions go hungry in India

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Every day some 3,000 Indian children die from illnesses related to malnutrition, and yet countless heaps of rodent-infested wheat and rice are rotting in fields across the north of their own country.

It is an extraordinary paradox created by a rigid regime of subsidies for grain farmers, a woeful lack of storage facilities and an inefficient, corruption-plagued public distribution system that fails millions of impoverished people.

And it is an embarrassment for the government led by the Congress party, which returned to power in 2009 thanks in large part to pledges of welfare for the poor, who make up about 40 percent of the 1.2 billion population.

Quite why the authorities could not simply offload the mountains of grain for free to fill empty stomachs is puzzling, but the explanation lies in the complex regulations that govern procurement and distribution.

"This is a case of criminal neglect by the government," said D. Raja, national secretary of the Communist Party of India, an opposition group. "The ruling party has been the worst manager of the demand-supply of food grains."

Officials say that, in all, about 6 million tons of grain worth at least $1.5 billion could perish. Analysts say the losses could be far higher because more than 19 million tons are now lying in the open, exposed to searing summer heat and monsoon rains.

Saddomajra, a village in the bread-basket state of Punjab, is one of the dumping grounds for the record stockpile of wheat that has accumulated after half a decade of bumper harvests in the world's second-largest producer of the grain.

Here there are thousands of sacks of decomposing wheat, occupying an area the size of a football field and towering in some places to the height of a house. Tarpaulins cover most of the mounds, but many of the bags are torn, spilling blackened grain blighted by fungus and insects.

"The wheat has been lying there for the past five years. It smells very bad," said Hakkam Singh, who works as a watchman at the open field. "Nobody steals it, but people use it to feed fish and poultry farms."

At another dump, on the outskirts of Punjab's Amritsar city, locals told Reuters that officials sometimes dip into the sacks of rotting grain to mix it with fresh wheat for distribution to the poor who hold ration cards.

WHEAT STOCKS AT ALL-TIME HIGH

In India the government buys rice and wheat from farmers at a guaranteed price, a support system akin to the subsidies that led to Europe's notorious butter mountains and milk lakes.

The government has raised the price it pays to buy wheat by more than 70 percent since 2007, which only encourages more production. As a result, stocks are now at an all-time high of about 50 million tons, 12 times more than the official target.

"It's related to pure economic security for the farmers," said Purnima Menon, a research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in New Delhi. "They make a safe choice of crops."

Rajiv Tandon, a senior adviser for health and nutrition at aid organization Save the Children in India, said that to diversify the country's food basket farmers should be offered incentives to grow vegetables and other cash crops.

However, he said root-and-branch modernization is needed. The farm sector was transformed by the introduction of high-yielding seeds, fertilizers and irrigation during the Green Revolution nearly half a century ago, ending a dependence on imports, but it has seen only incremental reform ever since.

Storage is one of the biggest problems of all.

"For the last 25 years the storage capacity has not been upgraded at all," Tandon said. "Part of the grain is officially stored outside store houses, where the chance of rotting is high. There are often not enough sacks and tarpaulins, and sometimes it is dumped by a graveyard or cremation centre."

Grain stocks officially deemed as stored in government warehouses now stand at a record 82.4 million tons. However, that is about 20 million tons more than actual capacity, which means grain lying in the open is being passed off as "stored".

WHO WILL BUY?

State-run Food Corp. of India (FCI), the main grain procurement agency, buys about one-third of total wheat output to run welfare programs and keep stocks for emergency needs.

What to do with the rest is a conundrum for the government, which is reluctant to sell wheat for less than the inflated support price it paid to farmers because it would put further strain on an already hefty fiscal deficit.

Recently it offered 6 million tons of rice and wheat to state administrations for the poor at cheaper rates, in addition to 55 million already earmarked for financial year 2012/13. But there were not many takers because state governments are grappling with budget overruns themselves.

Exporting wheat is not an attractive alternative.

After buying wheat from farmers and adding freight, storage and transport costs, the free on board (FOB) price is around $346 a ton. However, Indian wheat would only be competitive in the export market at around $260, which implies a loss - effectively a further subsidy, and this time to consumers in other countries - of $85-90 per ton for the government.

The brimming granaries forced India to lift a four-year-old ban on private exports last September, but lower global prices have scuppered those plans.

Traders say that even if India went all-out to export wheat it could at best sell 6-7 million tons a year because of transport bottlenecks and doubts about the quality of the grain.

New Delhi is considering the export of up to 3 million tons of wheat to sanctions-hit Iran, but traders say Tehran will not be falling over itself to buy because of concern that Indian grain may be tainted by fungal disease.

Last month the government decided to offer 3 million tons of wheat to local biscuit makers and flour millers at $205 a ton against the $225 it paid to farmers in 2012.

"Subsidizing our bread and biscuit makers is easier than subsidizing consumers of other countries," said a senior government official, who did not wish to be identified due to political criticism of a solution to the surplus that benefits private companies rather than the poor.

In China, a large portion of wheat stocks are channeled into the country's rapidly expanding animal feed sector, replacing more expensive corn. However, India has an exportable surplus of corn and its meat consumption is far lower, so there is little demand for wheat as a replacement for other grains.

"NATIONAL SHAME"

A government-supported survey published earlier this year found that 42 percent of India's children under 5 are underweight, almost double that of sub-Saharan Africa. The finding led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to admit that malnutrition was "a national shame".

The cause of this widespread malnutrition cannot be tied mechanically to a lack of staples like rice and wheat.

Indeed, many families living on less than $2 a day are fuelled and filled by subsidized carbohydrate-rich food like wheat chapatis. These lack the much-needed protein and other nutrients that come in more expensive food. Poor hygiene and contaminated water are also to blame because they cause illnesses like diarrhoea, which prevents nutrient absorption.

Still, there are real grain shortages in the poorest states.

Here the problem is an inefficient and corruption-prone distribution system. Eighteen months ago investigators said millions of dollars worth of grain meant for poor families had been siphoned off and sold locally and abroad in a scam involving hundreds of government officials.

In 2010 the Supreme Court urged the government to distribute grain free to the hungry rather than let it go to waste in warehouses and open fields, but that hasn't happened.

This is because state governments are reluctant to buy extra grain for distribution under the food welfare program and, even if they were, only people with under-the-poverty-line ration cards would be entitled to buy it in subsidized shops.

"The problem of rotting grains and the poor going hungry lies in the system itself," said Biraj Patnaik, principal adviser on food issues to the court.

The government is now planning a food security scheme that will guarantee cheap grain to 63.5 percent of the population.

However, critics see this as political gimmickry. They doubt that the new scheme will be less corrupt, more efficient or better targeted than current programs, and they suspect that the government will not be able to afford a plan that may cost as much as $12 billion in additional subsidies a year.

(Writing by John Chalmers; Additional reporting by Ajay Verma in SADDOMAJRA, India, by John Chalmers, Satarupa Bhattacharjya and Ratnajyoti Dutta in NEW DELHI and by Naveen Thukral in SINGAPORE; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crops-rot-millions-hungry-india-220307612--business.html

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